Cynthia Levinthal

I have been in biotechnology for almost 28 years, and my journey has been shaped by my passion for science and the incredible mentorships I've had along the way. I started my career working with MPS Pharmaceuticals in the early 90s, where I was collecting spider venoms for natural sciences in drug discovery. Watching how the research was done was so interesting to me, and I was instantly drawn to it. From there, I moved into basic research in drug discovery before joining Q Therapeutics, where I spent 10 years on the research team doing preclinical studies on neural stem cells in animal models and characterizing the stem cells. I then transitioned to become the clinical program manager for the ALS trial. Now, as a principal consultant with Q Therapeutics, I consult on regulatory submissions and clinical trials for neural stem cell therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, mainly transverse myelitis, with an open trial for ALS and looking at multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury. My most notable achievements include obtaining FDA clearance for starting drug trials and gaining orphan drug status and fast track status on two drug trials. I've also worked as associate director of training for a large company, but it wasn't my passion like the basic research and clinical trials work is.

• FDA clearance for starting drug trials
• Orphan drug status on two drug trials
• Fast track status on two drug trials